Judge rules Andrew Brown Jr.’s family can only view part of body camera footage of his shooting

A North Carolina judge has ruled that the family of Andrew Brown Jr., who was fatally shot by police in Elizabeth City, can only view part of the body camera footage of his shooting.

Judge Jeffery Foster issued a ruling on Thursday, which was published to the Pasquotank County website.

The family is only allowed to view a fraction of the nearly 2-hour video before and after his death.

The footage that is being withheld did not contain images of the deceased, Foster wrote, and thus is not appropriate for disclosure.

Foster wrote that the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Department had to disclose the video to the family within 10 days of his order.

The written ruling comes over one week after Foster ruled from the bench against publicly releasing the footage of Brown’s death.

Foster said at the time that there was “compelling public interest in the video,” and that its release “would create a serious threat to the fair impartial and orderly administration of justice.”

The judge did allow immediate members of Brown’s family to view the footage.

Prior to the bench ruling, members of the family were shown a 20-second clip of Brown’s death.

Khalil Ferebee, Brown’s son, told CNN that his father’s death was “an execution” after viewing the footage.

“It was an execution,” Ferebee said. “It’s video that no son should see dealing with his father at all.”

Brown was shot and killed days after a Minneapolis jury convicted former officer Derek Chauvin of second- and third-degree murder in the death of George Floyd.

Foster’s written ruling describes the April 21 incident. According to the ruling, officers were attempting to serve Brown an arrest warrant for drug related charges when he tried to flee the scene.

Officers then fired their weapons into Brown’s vehicle.

“Brown died as a result of injuries he received during the encounter with the deputies on the scene,” the ruling states.

Seven deputies were placed on leave after the incident.

Brown’s death sparked outrage and calls for the footage’s release, along with accusations of a cover-up.

Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten petitioned the court for the video to be released in late April. 

The FBI has launched a federal civil rights investigation into his death.